Fishing is a popular recreational activity. Most recreational fishing is done with a rod, a reel to hold a line, and a hook on the end of the line. Combined with the hook is a bait (food such as worms, small fish, cheese, bread, etc.) or a lure (an artificial fish or insect) to attract the fish to bite. In one method of fishing known as casting, the fisherman flips the rod to cast the lure at a desired spot on the water. The fisherman then slowly retrieves the line. The movement of the lure on or through the water increases the likelihood of a bite. Precision casting is a skill that can be improved with practice.
A variety of fishing games have been disclosed for the dual purposes of fun and improving a fisherman's skill at casting. The games use a standard rod, reel, and line, but substitute a game piece for the lure. One such fishing game is disclosed in Land, U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,136, May 5, 1992. In the Land game, the lure is replaced with a cylinder covered with a hook engaging material such as VELCRO hook-and-loop fabric. The cylinder is cast at fish-shaped targets spread out on the ground or water. The targets are covered with a contact engaging material. When the cylinder lands on one of the targets, an engagement (i.e., a temporary attachment) is made. The target is then retrieved using the reel. When the Land fishing game is played, a cast results in either a hit or a miss. There is no means for rewarding a near hit.
A second fishing game is disclosed in Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,995, Aug. 19, 1997. In the Howard game, the lure is replaced by a ball. The ball is cast at a game board containing multiple hinged doors. If the ball lands directly on a door, an artificial fish with a suction cup nose springs up through the door and attaches itself to the ball. As with the Land game, the Howard game has no means for rewarding a near hit.
A third fishing game is disclosed in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,211, Jul. 2, 2002. In the Smith game, the lure is replaced with a fly that is covered with a hook-and-loop fabric. The fly is cast at mats covered with mating hook-and-loop-fabric that are spread out on the ground. A fish replica is mounted near the mat to provide visual appeal. If the fly lands on the mat, it engages. Winding the reel causes the fly to disengage from the mat and enables it to be retrieved for another cast. As with the Land and the Howard games, the Smith game has no means for rewarding a near hit.
Accordingly, a demand exists for a fishing game with a graduated scoring system that provides rewards as casts get closer to a designated spot on the target. A demand also exists for a fishing game in which each cast leaves a visual indication of its location on the target.